a blog of original Buddhism

First Buddhist Senator

On Tuesday Mazie Hirono (D) was elected to the U.S. Senate from Hawaii, making her the first Buddhist in the Senate. She is also the first Senator born in Japan and the first Asian-American woman in the Senate. That’s quite a lot of firsts for one person! Unfortunately, she considers herself a “non-practicing” Buddhist. Nevertheless, we can all hope that she carries the spirit of metta, sila, and panna to the capitol.